Document text
Roeldus Riehmand
Assistant Divert"!
Federal Write Project
SWILLESII tgi:(441.4171STIt
'Te was neatly dressed in a light grey suit, soberly
striped tie, and clean white shoes, for it was the Sunda
before Memorial Day, the seasonal mei in the granite
business was over for another year, and there was no more
vrosbkomtil vedneediy, Vreeman was young, in the early
thirties, his fair face fresh and NAOMI, his bead bald
exaept for fringes of blond hair an either side. It wee
a good clean Swedish face, very solemn, with an expression.
ttomewhat like Charles Boyer' s. The eyes were serious, alm
most mournful, but there woe a homeroom ehinsioal twist to
tile mouth. Fe spoke slowly, carefully, with an moment that
uus near7 a lisp. :xtromely earnest and weliminformed, the
sorrov of the world was in his young face, in his voice
7Ven when be seined the Badness was there, and a certain lino*
shaLable dignity that commanded likinc and reopect although
you millt be amused at his queer expressions and accent.
ou wore a little surprised to learn that he mg: a stone-
cutter, although 4e big brown hands were those of a man that
Timrkedi0Mal his hands, and there was a suggestion cif otrong
russien beneath the gray flannel.
7c lived in a pleasant vellmeurnished =acing house and
took his meals there It was a
place to live, almost
like bona exoept for the landlady. "Mess an old maid,
crabby, always in the goys" Preeman said, raising his eye-
brow in a peculiar expression of suffering. "rrhe won't
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let you alone* She his to knew everything that goes on.
It's all the fun abs gets in 11110.' There were only a few
otber boarders a gar and bitter young secretary who
called Freeman batboy friend, mockingly, bemuse Freeman
alum7s insisted he felt Ulm a brother to her; a redmitaoed
sray.haired old man of eilltvwfour, childlike in his powlpito...
ity, trbel wanted to disj a large soft young business man" diem
sipatod anei obsessed with Was pureuit of pleaeure... "tromp
oomvanlons for the hordomusoled young crunite-outter with
the sad filo..
I bad my bac all packed to co away, Freeman said, stoking
his bald hoed and shrugging his shoulders. I didn't so Mr.
whore
Like my friend 3onean said last Anton "I bought
ski-boote and Oki.pients. I don't go skiing. I cot drank.'
T didn't set drunk this time. I stayed up all night
thouelh. We went to a dance in Groton. Best time I ever
had, T think, and I we sober. I didn't ware to drink gm'
for once. Teo quarts in the oar but I didn't toudh it. Let
the others get plastered. Tait time I went vas so tight
the girls wouldn't dance within. But last nit I had a
utonderfUl good timo, you Imorto (byes, vondorrul. Tedsy
I am so sleepy. tste I'll get drunk today...
I don't about the girls I Co with. I respect
In the poolroom I hear than talking about the cirls
they 1I last night. I don't like that. like to shoot
pool but I don't like that. 11, me n doesn't talk about those
things •f'climittinsee I step in the middle of the hang
up mg stiek and weft out. I respect women. I mould like
to get serried if I find tbe right ones but it's not so
easy UMW... I don't want to make a mistake in that.
I um proud of my race (be pronounced it npowoud").
steden le the cleanest *pantry, you know. Me Deedialh
people are cleans they have high principles and standards
of living. There WO no slums in Ovedsn. Bo slums at all*
see? ;lad the lowest percent venereal disease of any country
This country is the worst for that, you know. Tees, and
Barre is the' worst in Vermont for that* In Deaden tblOY
°loaned it right out in tan years, The government did it.
It's the only way... You know bee they did it? By nuking
it pubile. everything out in the open* r teadbing people
and conquering ignorant*. It is not to be bidden and aebemed
of. That's what causes disease Ube in this country. Over
there tbe government instructs the parents, fathers instruct
their eons, mothers inetruet their denghtere If a ease 10
not reported you onn go to Jail for two years, you know.
Yc$s I um proud of my moo.
come from southern Fuedosn'—. near Goteborg. All flat
ioultte lArd there1 flat like out west in this eountry.
oune tom seaports& but the land is all
flat for agriculture 1 was twenty Man I come with some
others. to had Jobe before we started* I never thought
'd out stone but I have for eleven yeers* alen 1 saw
stones in graveyards at homes you knows they meant nothings
Just stones. I didn't went to be a stonecutter but it's
the only thing hers* it yx have noedusation ytui moat bows
a trade. You cot to have a trade. Than you have somothing
they can't take sew from you, see/
e sailed to !Wires& then down to flev !reek. rialifax
ves all foggy& Suet like ;Auden. 1-;e were three days in the
fog cettinc into port. There were lots of Modish nen, a
fee "woligh girls, meetly Plumb& girle on the boat. One
of them vale vben we cot toltalifam "If T had the werlOr
I'd co right WOW Most of the:am* to Canada. 0107 a
few came down to this oountry. Hest of them bed no Jobe,
no money, didn't know what they would do. Just take a
ohanee with employment aconeies. It teek courage& yeekner4
,lboolutely it todk courace.
'ith no it vas eifforent. This man net um la flew .ork4
le han to sicn mem we could be no burden on the Melted
tutee. It we had run off or sonethinc 71e wouldn't be
fixed so good. o vas responsible for up. In Darro the
Jobe were weitinc for up. They still needed men after the
strike. That ewe eleven yeure age, you know MG. Mn
Ma they had a big otrike hers didn't %aye any real
trouble when we cot hare, a fowl looilm rayte sone talk
against us• But there vore only a few of us. JO feeling
vas acainet the Frerhohmedians they bad broucht in, hundreds
of them. .,es„ 1um Maim you have to be in i d'W, a Tinian
shed.
1 learned to be a polisher, to finidh the atone after
it's sawed and surtaeed before it Gees to be carved. root
of the finidhinc is done by cii, you've soon the bi7,
maChines they use. I run ono of theses z7iometimeu the atone
has to be hand...polished afterwards. Yos* eleven years of it
for ne. noass•
I never thoue:A I'd be u stonecutter. 1-2,ut after
you got started you don't went to take aonethinc with lower
pay* you know lad I've got a trade... It's not so
bad in the sheds now. iio vacuums take the dust away. The
vacuums they have now IOr1 good. 'liooe naa1zi wore no good
at all, I never used one. The fine dust* almost like uir*
went throu8h tham just the same and they were hot and choltinc
The vacuum suck up that fine dust* the vacuum, are safe.
lhere's no need of a man being killed in the sheds now
Li be 0 careful ono of the old men don't care* they won't
try to be careful. i?robbably It's in them already and they
Imow it, because when they started the dust was very bud.
loarnec the trade lere in Lerma I worked three yours
hero* then went to C,oncorC for three years. I worked for
:7menser in Gonoord the bitxost shed in the country. They
vacumx t!,:lero fifteen yours ago, you %now. :jut they
never rot than in 4=410 until three...four years QCO, rtAXIIT4
Ole ::'veneer me in the shed all the time always in t_lc Shod.
r)ne day a man beside me didn't uco ale vacuum. nvencer asked
him why not. x an paid he didn't !,:avo time to turn it on.
wansor
ey cost me "lbOsj00 to put in here and I
viant thOIC uned, ive ne five rAnuteu und I'll .ive you
70 wont Into the. office* cure bac% wit:21 the :Ian's
be that my. I c oven stop an people not 2u
you :moo.
1 met an old frion1 of mine today Varick. ed
to be hero. ,'xo used to drinl: and co around tocothor. Jo
to an °roan/sor for the CIO. ankod 11.7.1 to nave a boors
said:
no, no, I can't do it, Freorin. I junt been to
chureh,n That vas all richt. it8 all rierlt to co to
elzurdh. 1 co nyself sonetines. But then be said: "nd I
have an ont;at.emont to play colt," That was onoutlh for no.
That vas too much. u oncagenent to plfiq. rielfl LI you had
moan Variel: before vz Chanced so much.'or lea:yenta
cake boo do people chancy co much in ouch a little While'i
7To van My a stronger to ne. I didn't tnow him any more.
I don't ount to tnoy him. "T have just boon to Church, and
have an engagement to nlai colf...var1C1 .fter all
the times vie had tocether. couldn't talt any more to
hir, I left him right there.
hja;ruccor, coust have boon a. Great nun. You caw
the movie they rlade of people th.thL 1:_vuoger is
still alive. :-.obody %nous for sure. doctor in ntoctholm
oho Imoo 2.11n1 vzoLl occalc ho Di= him alive -0, after the
nruemr had forests in northern ,mann. 7:is
rtchcc came from there. c had 'old mince, too, diamond
mines in '7outh everythinc. 1 e had luc, sure he
had luet. DLit honunt have brain too, he must have
had onething up hero, you bet.
'C. cane over junt with nothinc. c built
or 11,1L)a Oorao diffc 4.1t fron :lore,
Z3Lcurgi
1: will enjoy it
live ly life
r.
ax1 ono thins I 114.4vo uncl v111 always haw,
b0,0,7 can
ta%c t%at away from no, St io o mv trades.